MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Everyone knows England’s master plan for its World Cup quarterfinal Saturday will revolve around stopping striker Erling Haaland.
As they would say in Norway: “Lykke til.” Translation: Good luck.
“Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland?” England midfielder Morgan Rogers asked, probably only somewhat rhetorically, about the 25-year-old striker. “I’m not sure they have, but we’re going to try. You’re going to have to try.”
Stopping Haaland — who has seven goals in this year’s World Cup, one behind France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the most at the tournament in the Golden Boot race — will be the primary subplot of the England-Norway showdown at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Among the others: How veteran England striker Harry Kane, no slouch himself, will measure up on the same field with Haaland; a Norway team with no pressure versus an England team with enormous expectations; even British Airways versus Norwegian Air in a social media chirping battle. At stake for the teams is a berth in the semifinals, with the winner to face either Argentina or Switzerland — those teams meet in the week’s last quarterfinal later Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri — next Wednesday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.